St Anne’s House and Bricks, Bristol

Community collaboration for a new lease of life…

St Anne’s House in Brislington, Bristol, holds many stories within its walls. Between 1913 and 1980, it was a busy board mill producing cardboard, at the heights of Bristol’s manufacturing industry, then it became the office of the Bristol City Council Housing Team until 2018.

For the next two winters, St Mungo’s Homeless Charity used the ground floor to provide shelter in the coldest months. Otherwise the building was empty, and in 2019 a collaboration began between St Mungo’s, the local community, Bristol DIY Arts Network (particularly Artspace Lifespace), Bristol City Council (who still owned the building) and local charity Bricks Bristol*, to explore community uses of the top two floors.

*Bricks is a Bristol-based charity and social enterprise with a mission to build the resilience of Bristol’s creative, local and social enterprise communities in ways that are creative and mutually supportive. The charity programmes collaborative activities and secures permanent spaces in the city to build sustainable futures.

Creative mapping and lease negotiation

When COVID-19 hit, St Mungo’s relocated their service delivery to a site that could enable social distancing. At the same time, the lockdown put a pause on the uses of the other floors which were due to begin.

So in the interim, online and in parks, the plan for the whole building was refreshed, through a ‘creative community mapping process’, led by local artist Jo Chalkblack and commissioned by Bricks.

This co-design process gathered hundreds of local people to identify opportunities, local assets, skills, power and needs, and to shape the plans. Together they identified the pressing need for a permanent space for the creative sector and for artists, where the local community could also come together.

Supported by a group of local residents, Bricks worked with Bristol City Council council and others to negotiate an initial lease, having secured initial funders who believed in the vision and supported early efforts to reactivate space.

Thriving communities collaborating through creativity…

In the summer of 2021, Bricks unlocked the building with an initial 12-month lease. Together with local organisations, they brought all three floors back to life with amazing creative and community projects.

And since then, with a new five-year lease secured, St Anne’s has housed artist studios and exhibitions, wellbeing therapy rooms and office for small businesses — from mushroom farms to cooperative gyms, theatre groups to ceramics studios, community saunas to cooperative gyms, and much much more.

Bricks has also run projects recording the history and heritage of the building and local neighbourhood.

"The hub of all hubs!

[I’m] always blown away by all the incredible initiatives, exhibitions and projects I see on a weekly basis at St Anne’s House... Real community through and through"

— a supporter of St Anne’s House

"St Anne’s House is only possible because of collaboration, community and creativity.

A huge collection of organisations, individuals and funders have made this transformation possible. We owe a particular debt of gratitude to those who supported us right at the beginning - The Nisbet Trust, The National Lottery, Bristol City Council, key local people including our Action Group and local artist Jo Chalkblack, as well as inspirational partners including Kim Wide (Take a Part) and many more."

— Jack Gibbons, Director of Bricks